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Fort Benning protesters scheduled for trial

COLUMBUS, Ga. — A federal magistrate has ordered four participants in protests last weekend at Fort Benning to stand trial.

The four appeared before U.S. Magistrate G. Mallon Faircloth on Monday. They are identified as 61-year-old Michael Walli of Duluth, Minn.; 77-year-old Father Luis Vitale of Oakland, Calif.; 63-year-old Nancy Gwin of Syracuse, N.Y., and 60-year-old Kenneth Hayes of Austin, Texas.

All four protesters face charges of entering a military, naval or Coast Guard property, which merits up to six months in prison upon conviction.

The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reports that Walli told Faircloth he preferred to remain in jail until his January trial date. His request was denied.

The protesters gather each year to demonstrate against the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, which trains Latin American soldiers.